Box Score
MALBU, Calif.—The Gonzaga University baseball team was just one out away from forcing extra innings during the 2015 season finale at Pepperdine, but a solo home run from Hutton Moyer gave the Waves a 4-3 walk off win Sunday afternoon at Eddie D. Field Stadium in Malibu.
Pepperdine scored the first run of the game, taking the lead with an unearned tally in the second. Aaron Barnett singled through the right side to lead off the frame, and he moved over on a fielder's choice, surviving the double play attempt on a throw that took second baseman Caleb Wood off the bag. After a pair of sacrifices, Barnett touched home for the run.
The Zags responded immediately, taking the lead in the top of the third. Joey Harris gave Gonzaga an immediate base runner, singling to center field. Mitchell Gunsolus brought the junior catcher home with a double to deep center that hit just a few feet below the top of the fence. A hard bounce off the wall allowed Harris to score from first, and Gunsolus took third on a late attempt at the plate. The senior third baseman came home himself after a strong at bat from Sam Brown, who took six pitches before hitting a sacrifice out to center field.
In the fourth, Gonzaga used small ball to bring around another tally. Justin Jacobs led the inning off with a single up the middle, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Wood drew a walk, they both moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt from Cory LeBrun. Jacobs scored on a second consecutive productive out, a groundout to second base from Tyler Frost.
Two solo home runs from Pepperdine tied the game. A four-bagger from Barnett in the fourth cut the Gonzaga lead to one, and Moyer tied the game with a blast to lead off the sixth inning. The Waves then had an opportunity to take the lead in the seventh. They put runners on first and second with just one out, but GU starter Eli Morgan got Chris Fornaci, the leadoff hitter, to pop out to short. The freshman right hander then struck out Moyer to end the frame.
In the eighth, Pepperdine again saw a chance to take the lead, but the Zags again escaped unscathed. The Waves put two men on base with two out before Morgan left the game in favor of bullpen ace David Bigelow. Bigelow got a ground ball from his first batter faced, but Manny Jefferson reached on a fielder's choice when Brad Anderson beat a throw to third base. Josh Davis then hit a deep fly ball to center field, but Brown tracked the ball down and made a leaping catch, falling towards the warning track and keeping the game level.
In the ninth inning, the Zags went down in order, and after the first two Pepperdine batters made outs in the bottom of the frame, the game looked like it'd go into extra innings. Moyer put a 2-0 pitch over the fence in right field, however, for his second home run of the game and a walk off victory for Pepperdine.
Bulldog Bites
- Gunsolus ended his Gonzaga career with yet another multi-hit game, scoring one run and bringing in another on a single and a double. The multi-hit contest was his team-leading 22nd of the season, and he finished the year with a season-high 11 game hit streak. In 2015, Gunsolus set career highs in nearly every offensive category, hitting .353 with 73 hits, 46 runs, 34 RBIs, 25 extra-base hits, seven home runs, a .556 slugging percentage, and a .449 on base percentage.
- Morgan ended the year with another solid start, going 7.2 innings pitched and allowing three runs in the no decision, two of which were earned. He fanned five batters and just walked one. The outing Sunday was very similar to his start on May 10 when he also went 7.2 innings, allowed three runs (although zero earned), struck out five, and walked one. His 7.2 innings pitched are career bests. During his three starts, all of which came in the final three weekends of the year, he posted a 2.61 ERA with 20.2 innings pitched, six earned runs allowed, and 12 strikeouts.
- Despite taking the loss, Bigelow also wrapped up the strongest season of his career. The right hander set career highs with a 2.08 ERA, 29.0 innings pitched, and 30 strikeouts. Additionally, his 10 saves were the second-most ever at Gonzaga, and he was named to the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year midseason watch list. Only current major leaguer Cody Martin has saved more games in a season than Bigelow did in 2015.
- A fellow senior and designated hitter, LeBrun also set career marks this year. His .318 batting average was the best in his three years at Gonzaga, as were his 16 doubles. Additionally, he was just one hit away from a career mark, collecting 56 base knocks as a redshirt senior.
- Rounding out the seniors on the team, Zach Abbruzza and Derek Peterson both rebounded from arm injuries in the past two years to see the field a bit in their final season. Abbruzza pitched 6.3 innings, allowing two earned runs for a personal best 2.70 ERA. Peterson, meanwhile, made his season debut May 8 against Pacific, pitching two scoreless innings against the Tigers. He also threw two more frames May 16 at Pepperdine.
Next Up
With the loss, the Bulldogs end the 2015 season at 24-28 and 13-14 in West Coast Conference play. They say goodbye to five seniors - Gunsolus, LeBrun, Bigelow, Abbruzza and Peterson - due to graduation. They have, however, signed two players to NLIs for the 2016 season: Jordan Rathbone and Justin Vernia. The incoming freshmen will join a significant returning crop of current juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.
